Package



Jan. 10, 1961 J. G. VERGOBBI 2,967,656

PACKAGE Filed Sept. 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

BY fi ewm Jan. 10, 1961 J. G. VERGOBBI I 2,957,656

' PACKAGE Filed Sept. 10, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- k/oA/v G 1/670 6 A 1 BY yowtgczmuz ATTOAIYE'Y United States Patent Q PACKAGE John G. Vergobbi, Quincy, Mass., assignor to Pneumatic Scale Corporation, Limited, Quincy, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 10, 1957, Ser. No. 683,185

4 Claims. (Cl. 229-52) This invention relates to a package.

'The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved package provided with a flexible handle secured thereto in a novel and eflicient manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved package of the character specified having a positively secured tuck flap closure which may be easily broken by the consumer to lift the flap and open the package.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of making a package of the character specified.

4 A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved package of the character specified which may be rapidly and economically produced in a high speed automatic packaging machine.

With these general objects in view and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the package and in the method of making the same as hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a completed package provided with a flexible handle and embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a liner bag formed on a mandrel and illustrates the first step in the production of the present package;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a prescored carton blank having a flexible handle applied thereto, the blank being shown in a position to be wrapped about the mandrel and the liner bag formed thereon;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the carton blank partially wrapped about the mandrel;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the carton blank fully wrapped about the mandrel with a portion of the carton side seam broken away;

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the carton bottom clo sure flaps folded and sealed;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the lined package removed from the mandrel;

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the filled package provided with a liner bag top closure; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the present package illustrating the tuck flap broken away from the side wall of the carton to open the package.

In general the present invention contemplates a package and more particularly a lined package comprising a carton having an inner liner bag and which is provided with a flexible handle, such as a string or narrow ribbon of woven fabric for convenience in carrying the package, the string being secured to the package in a novel and positive manner such as to prevent inadvertent disengagement of the handle from the package.

In the production of the present package the inner face of the carton blank is provided with adhesive at selected e ICC seam and closure forming portions and also at selected other portions of the inner face of the carton blank for adhesively securing the carton to the walls ofthe liner;

blank prior to shaping the blank into carton form, and

in the illustrated and preferred embodiment of the invention the end wall panels are provided with pierced openings or slits through which the end portions of the handle are inserted to be frictionally retained in the slits and to present the ends of the handle into engagement with adjacent adhesively coated portions of the inner face of the carton blank to adhesively secure the handle ends to the carton blank. V

The present package is of a structure such as to be capable of being produced on existing high speed package making machinery, and in practice a sheet of liner bag material is first Wrapped about a mandrel to form the liner bag and thereafter the prescored liner blank having the flexible handle secured thereto is wrapped about the mandrel and the liner bag and sealed along a longitudinal side seam whereupon the bottom flaps of the carton are closed and sealed. In wrapping the carton blank about the mandrel, adhesively coated portions of the blank engage the walls of the liner bag to secure the bag to the carton, and the inserted ends of the handle are pressed into engagement with the adjacent adhesively coated portions of the blank to adhesively secure the handle ends between the carton end walls and the adjacent walls of the liner bag.

The lined carton is then removed from the mandrel and filled with the product being packaged whereupon the extended portions of the liner bag are closed to form a liner bag top closure. The present carton is provided with three top closing flaps, one of which comprises a tuck flap which may then be closed to complete the package, and in accordance with another feature of the present invention a portion of the tuck flap top closure is adhesively secured to the adjacent side wall of the carton, and the side wall is provided with weakened lines adjacent the adhesively secured portion providing a detachable portion which may be easily broken by the consumer to permit opening of the tuck flap.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents the present package provided with a flexible handle 12 Secured to the package in a novel manner such as to prevent inadvertent disengagement of the handle from the package. The illustrated package embodying the invention preferably comprises a line package adapted to be produced in an automatic package maker wherein a liner sheet is first Wrapped about a mandrel 14 and sealed along overlapping longitudinal marginal side edges to form a tube having a side seam 16, the extended portions of the tube being folded and sealed to provide a bottom closure 18, thus completing formation of the liner bag indicated by the numeral 20 as illustrated in Fig. 2. In practice the liner bag may preferably comprise a thin,

flexible paraffin coated fibrous material having a heat' mandrel 14 and the liner bag 20 as shown in Fig. 3.= The carton blank may comprise a relatively rigid carton board material having side wall panels 24, 26 and end wall panels 28, 30, the side wall panel 24 having a lqngin tudinauy extended sealing p 32 extended therefrom,

for cooperation with the opposed marginal edge of the carton blank to form the carton side seam. The side and end wall panels are provided with four bottom closure flaps extended therefrom comprising the side flaps 34, 36 and end flaps 38, 40 for forming the. bottom closure. The top cl'osure flaps comprise the end flaps 42, 44 and a single side flap 46 having a tuck flap portion: 48 ex: tended therefrom.

The inner face of the prescored carton blank 22 is initially provided with adhesively coated areas at selected sealing portions thereof including a strip of adhesive 50 along the marginal side edge 52 for cooperation with the side seam flap 32 and adhesively coated areas 54, 56 on the bottom closing side flaps 34, 36. The side wall panels. 24, 26 are provided with adhesively coated areas 58, 60 respectively disposed substantially in the center of each panel for subsequent sealing engagement with the side walls of the liner bag, and the end wall panels 28, 30 are also provided with adhesively coated areas 62, 64' respectively adjacent the upper portions of the end wall panels and to one side of slit openings 66, 68 which are subsequently formed in the end wall panels for insertion of the ends of the flexible handle 12.

The present carton blank is also provided with weakened lines 70 in the side wall panel 26 defining a breakaway' portion 72 at an approximately medial portion along the upper marginal edge of said side wall panel.

After the adhesive applying operation the flexible handle 12 is applied to the carton blank by piercing the slit openings 66, 68 in the end wall panels 28, 30 and extending the ends of'the handle through the slit openings from the outer faceor underside of the blank, as shown in Fig. 3, to present the extended ends adjacent the adhesively coated areas 62, 64 respectively. The handle 12 may and preferably will comprise a narrow ribbon of'woven fabric or other suitable material, and the slit openings 66, 68 are preferably extended vertically parallel to and medially of the longitudinal edges defining the end wall panels and a short distance below the top edges of the panels as shown in Fig. 3. In practice the inserted portions of the ribbon are held in assembled relation to the carton by friction at this time, and the end portions of the handle lie loosely over the adhesively coated areas 62, 64 as illustrated.

The prescored carton blank 22, as thus prepared, may then be wrapped about the mandrel and the liner bag, as illustrated in Fig. 4, to present the adhesive strip 50 in overlapping relation to the seam forming flap 32, as shown in Fig. 5, to form a tubular carton having a side seam 74, the pressure applied during the wrapping operation effecting pressing of the. loosely extended ends of the handle against their respective adhesive areas 62, 64 in order to adhesively secure the ends of the handle to the inner surface of the carton blank and also adhesively securing the end wall panels 28, 30 to the adjacent end walls of the liner bag so that in effect the ends of the handle. are adhesively secured between the carton and liner walls. It will also be observed that one end of the handle is partially secured between the overlapping portions. of the side seam 74. Also, at this time, the adhesively coated areas 58, 60 on the inner face of the side wall panels 24, 26 respectively effect adhesion of the side wall panels-to the side walls of the. liner bag.

The bottom flaps of the carton may then be closed and sealed in overlapping relation to form the bottom closure 75, as shown in Fig. 6, and the lined carton or package thus formed may then be removed from the mandrel, as illustrated in Fig. 7, whereupon the lined carton is filled with the commodity being packaged. It will be observed that the provision of the adhesively secured. areas between the carton and liner bag walls prevents collapse of the liner. bag portions within the carton during the handling thereof and also tends to maintain .the extendedtop closingportion of the liner bag extended vertically in a wide open condition to facilitate the filling operation. The upwardly extended portions 77 of the liner bag are then folded to provide a top closure by folding the end walls of the-extended portions outwardly and the side walls inwardly in face-to-face relation to produce an elongated closure extending across the top of the package. The elongated closure may then be folded once upon itself and heat sealed whereupon the laterally extended end portions 79 formed by the folding operation may be folded inwardly as shown in Fig. 8.

Prior to closing the top flaps of the carton, adhesive. strips 76, 78 may be applied to the inner face of the top closure flap 46 along the marginal side'edges thereof, as shown in Fig. 8, for adhesively securing the single top closing flap 46 to the underlying end flaps 42, 44, and a strip of adhesive 80is also applied to the outer face of the tuck flap portion 43 at a medial portion and along the upper end thereof, as indicated in Fig. 8, for adhesively securing the tuck flap portion to the breakaway portion 72 in the front side wall panel 26 of the.carton. The top flaps are then closed by first folding the end fiaps' 42, 44 inwardly and then closing the side flap 46 with the tuck flap portion 48 inserted between the carton front wall 26 and the liner bag. Pressure may thenbe applied to set the adhesive and seal the top closing side flap 46 to the end flaps 42, and to also seal the tuck flap portion 48 to thebreakaway portion 72, thus completing the top closure. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the package lli'may be easily opened by pressing inwardly against the breakaway portion 72 to tear the front side wall 26 along the weakened lines 70 and then lifting the flap upwardly to rupture the adhesive seals 76, 78 between the top closing side flap 46 and the top closing end flaps 42, 44, the breakaway portion 72 remaining adhesively secured to the tuck flap portion 43 as shown. If the contents of the package are only partially consumed the top closing flap 46 may be recloscd by replacingthe tuck flap extension 48 with the breakaway portion 72 fitted into its initial position in abutting engagement with the front side wall 26 to maintain the package closed. It will be observed that the provision of the adhesive areas 62, 64 and 58, 60 between the carton walls and the liner walls also prevent lifting of the liner bag out of the carton when the package is opened.

From the above description it will be seen that the present invention provides a novel package provided with a flexible carrying handle secured thereto in a novel and positive manner such as to prevent inadvertent pulling out of the ends of the handle from the package. The insertion of the ends of the relatively narrow ribbon laterally into the vertical slit openings presents the inserted ends of the ribbon horizontally relative to the end walls so that when the handle is extended upwardly in use, as when carrying the bag as shown in Fig. l, por' tions of the inserted ends will bind in the slit openings to relieve any direct strain on the adhesively secured portions.

Whilethe preferred embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A package comprising a carton having an inner liner bag, said carton having side and end wall panels and provided with top and bottom closures, and a flexible carrying handle secured to the package, said flexible handle comprising a relatively narrow ribbon having its ends extended through slit openings in opposed wall panels of the carton and adhesively secured between the opposed wall panels and the adjacent Walls of the liner bag.

2. A package as defined in claim 1 wherein the side and end wall panels are adhesively secured to the adjacent walls of the inner liner bag.

3. A package comprisinga carton having side and end wall panels; and, provided. with top. and bottom closures and a flexible carrying handle secured to the package, said flexible handle comprising a relatively narrow fabric ribbon having its ends extended through straight line slit openings in opposed end wall panels of the carton and frictionally retained between the edges of said slit openings, one of said side panels having a sealing flap overlapping with and secured to one of said end panels, the extended end portions of said handle being adhesively secured to the inner surfaces of said opposed end wall panels with one end of said handle disposed between its end wall panel and said sealing flap.

4. A package, comprising: a carton having opposed pairs of side and end Wall panels and provided with top and bottom closures and a flexible carrying handle secured to the package, one pair of the opposed wall panels having straight line, vertical slit openings cut therethrough, said flexible handle being disposed generally horizontally relative to said slit openings and comprising a flat, narrow fabric ribbon having its ends extended through said slit openings and being frictionally retained flatwise between the edges of said slit openings, the extended end portions of said handle being adhesively setions of its inserted ends at the upper end of said slit openings when the handle is moved to its vertical carrying position, whereby to relieve direct strain on the adhesively secured end portions of said handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,402,261 Smith Ian. 3, 1922 1,531,018 Newton Mar. 24, 1925 2,021,559 Lengsfield Nov. 19, 1935 2,260,137 Donnelly Oct. 21, 1941 2,275,134 Davidson Mar. 3, 1942 2,341,930 Lipet Feb. 15, 1944 2,401,664 Robins June 4, 1946 2,645,407 Bergstein July 14, 1953 2,682,990 Crary July 6, 1954 7 2,760,716 Weiner Aug. 28, 1956 

